Time and a Word...

Although I must admit that the last book that I read was the final Dark Tower volume (quite satisfying, almost) I do enjoy reading as much as I can.

Not that it's of much interest to anyone other than me, here are some of my favorite authors:

The Apostles James and Timothy - They may have small books, but there's a concentrated zeal in them.

King Solomon (If you want to read some verses on par with Pablo Neruda, crack open a Bible, and check out the Song of Solomon. Truly lovely stuff in there.)

Clive Barker - I didn't want you to think that I was just going to give you a bunch of Bible verses to read and make this seem like Sunday School. I may not have a good side for taking pictures, but I'd be nothing without my dark side.

Stephen King - Although I tend to enjoy his more subversive and quieter tales, I really have loved some of his work. The Dark Tower series is something that almost anyone could and should enjoy. Also, there is a passage in 'Salem's Lot that describes a small town so well that it has always stuck in my mind.

Stephen Lawhead - Probably my favorite author still alive. I caught his work early on, and have everything he's ever written. I don't think there's a weak one in the bunch. His Arthurian legend (The Pendragon Cycle) is masterful. It's both grand and accessible in a way that few books have ever been written. Plus, it's also the source of an alias of mine, and a matching one for my wife.

C.S. Lewis - Whether or not the new film that is being made lives up to any of the wonder that is present in the Chronicles of Narnia, Jack was a genius. Whether it was a Christian essay, or a tale of centaurs, his words always manage to take me to a better place.

George MacDonald - I have an edition of one of his books with a quote by C.S. Lewis that states that George MacDonald is his master. While I don't know whose work I would give that title to, I will say this. George MacDonald's writing is both fanciful and refined. Whether I'm reading an allegory, or a short children's story, his works almost flow like poetry. It's really that good.

Neil Gaiman - The heir apparent to the fantasy throne. His ability to weave timeless themes into timely situations is a wonderful gift. Plus, there's never a lack of humor in his books. Just the right touch of dark, wry wit to keep you smiling while you fly through the pages.

Anne Rice - While Bram may be the archetype, Anne has penned the most full-bodied blood-drinker legacy. The movies are an abomination (how often is that the case?) but the books are great. There's a denseness to the layers of pathos and mystery in her books that could easily be "fluffed" into several more books. I guess that's why they make such good material to re-read. Although secondary by far, her witch series following the family Mayfair through it's centuries of triumphs and travails is also very skillfully done.

J.R.R. Tolkien - This is the claim of one who read the Hobbit at a young age, and the same boy who bought the Lord of the Rings books right afterwards, and had to read them twice because I got confused. I've been in love with Middle Earth and it's magic since before there was a cartoon with a goat-throated warbler singing about "...the greatest adventure".

Jack London - It might just be because his stories are just so bold and bracing, but once you've read one of his books, you can tell when you're in another one. He was always able to convey the struggle of his protagonist, and make you fight along side him the whole way.

Alexander Dumas - Aside from writing one of the most famous adventure series of all time (The Three Musketeers, not just a candy bar anymore) Alexander managed to write one of my favorite books of all time. Maybe I enjoy The Count of Monte Cristo so much because it involves carefully plotted revenge. Maybe it's the rich imagery, and romantic plot. No matter what it is, this would be one of my five books if that's all I could have with me.

Edgar Allen Poe - I'm not throwing this in to boost my spooky cred, or get the dark goth nod. I find everything that Poe did fascinating. I enjoy his poetry as much as his stories. I think I may be the only person that sees him as a kind of Rumplestiltskin. His words seem to spin the straw of my mind into gold every time. It's almost like you could read his books, and not understand them, and still know they were fantastic.

Theodor Geisel - You probably know him by his official title of Dr. Seuss. I challenge anyone that claims that he isn't one of the most talented writers in the world. How many other storytellers can lay claim to the absolute silliness that his works embody? When I think of a Dr. Seuss book, all I can hear are giggles. That's a beautiful thing.

Although there are many more authors that I connect with beyond these, I don't want to make this post any more of a novella than it has already become...

The Ocean...

despite the sun
i slipstream the cloud shadows
beneath the moon, I try
to mark Orion and the Pleiades
strong currents eddy across
my stream of consciousness
the gravity and weight of a soul
measured in sea foam
too long have i slept
so that now, fantasies and parallels
are swallowed by the deep
with no aftertaste of dream

should this race be run
or ran away from?
am i too grounded to fly
or rather too far gone to be anchored?
most often i seem at a loss
to know which side of the mirror
is my given role
and whether i'll vanish once i turn
where every tear i've ever wept
creates a tender shore to walk upon
and every day i'm allowed to keep
is one less beach to cry about

Dedicated...

I must give credit where credit is due.

The reason that I decided to begin a blog is because of a few factors.

The first of those is the most excellent spot for music that I've ever found on the internet. An mp3 blog that just simply ownz, the one and only http://regnyouth.blogspot.com/ .

Please do yourself a favor and take a look. You're bound to find something that you already like, and maybe discover something new too.

The other impetus in this is playing detective, and hunting down a old, dear friend of mine. I haven't talked to Dave in a long time, and yet with his blog, I was able to feel like I had caught up on a large portion of his life in a short span of clicks and scrolls.

I figured that if I could record my thoughts, interests, and views, then maybe someone would like to read about it. I hope that I don't lose touch with any other friends, but maybe they could track me down, and read about what I've been up to as well.

This probably sounds really sappy, and I promise that my life is not really this mellifluous most of the time.

I'm relatively certain that I'll probably exorcise more demons than most here, and probably give insight to things that would just as soon be unknown.

I just wanted to start off by letting everyone know what prompted me to want to do this.

Maybe the only person that will really learn or gain (or read) anything from this is me, but I'm cool with that.

So It Begins...

Although I was never one to chronicle my life in a diary, I suppose this is a bit different.

While I can't promise that every post will be chock full of excitement, or that every opinion will be sane, if anyone happens upon this, I hope they come away with more good than when they began.

I warn you that I have a tendency to be a bit freeform, and change topics on a dime. I think that I'm a bit more reserved when writing than in speaking, so you should be safe.

So, enough of this introduction business. I don't want to make this anything it's not. If you want to write me, share an opinion, disagree, or cuss me out, then please shoot me a line. I'll be happy for the feedback, no matter what it is.

Like the great Chico once said, "I got nothing, but you can always have half".